Jean Audard was the brother of the Surrealist poet Pierre Audard (1909-1981).[citation needed] In the late 1920s, he cofounded a poetry magazine Rationale (1928-1930) with other young poets, as well as founding Zarathoustra, a more philosophical journal.[1] Around this time he became a correspondent of Oscar Milosz.[2]

In the 1930s he was a contributor to Cahiers du Sud, and joined others associated with Surrealism in anti-Fascist efforts.[3] An essay by Audard on the extent to which psychoanalysis was materialist drew heavy criticism from Georges Politzer for the 'bootlegging Bergsonianism' of its 'Freudo-Marxism'.[4] He wrote for the wartime (1939-1946) poetry magazine Messages. After the death of Oscar Milosc he became Director of the Friends of Milosz, established in 1966.[5]

He had three children. Elsa is a psychoanalyst in Paris. Frédéric, the youngest, created his own communication agency in the East of France. And his second daughter is Catherine Audard,[6] a philosopher and translator of John Rawls.